Swallowed in the Sea
by Cyberbird09
Summary: My sequal to "I'd Kill You for Nothing." Yuffie and Vincent haven't spoken to each other in a few months - but when a new woman comes into Vincent's life, more than sparks begin to fly between them again. Rated M for sexiness. Song by Coldplay.
1. What Happens Now?

**Chapter 1 - What Happens Now?**

Lady Yuffie Kisaragi sat on her throne. No one else was there in the room…just her…alone. She was all made up in her traditional Wutaian garbs, make-up and everything. Yet her hair was much shorter now, for she had cut it a few months ago, due to the necessary circumstances at the time. Now, it was the same length it had been all those years ago when she was a teenager. While she knew that she was alone, Yuffie still secretly snuck her hand in her pocket and pulled out a little pink orb that was wrapped in plastic. She looked about the dark wooded throne room to make sure she was surely alone and made an attempt to silently undo the plastic. The crinkling noise seemed so much more vocal with no other sounds coming from around her. When she finally removed the pink orb from the plastic, she slowly brought her hand up and placed it in her mouth. It was bubblegum and it was so good! It had been a long time since she had had any type of candy. Her representatives made it known to her that she should start eating healthy again…but her diet problems wouldn't have been a dilemma if it hadn't been for…

Yuffie sighed at the thought of Vincent Valentine. After their adventure with her deranged Uncle Jiro, their feelings for each other had been jumbled again. They still loved each other – but with Yuffie's position as the Lady of Wutai (and the fact that she was already married) they could not be together. It just wouldn't work. Vincent made it clear to her that helping Wutai was what she should focus on right now. Yuffie knew that was true. Why then did Vincent bother playing with her heart the way that he did? He told her the day before she left that she should not act the way she was acting and to give into the love that she felt for him. The very next day, he did a total 360 and told her that they were not meant to be together right now. What does "right now" mean anyway? Does that mean he would be there for her once Wutai was fixed? Or when Aki (her husband) was dead? It didn't make any sense…Yuffie chewed softly on the gum that she had so carefully kept hidden and sighed again, slumping into her seat. She had sent one text to him the night she left telling him that she would always be his friend. That was the last time she had tried contacting him. It wasn't worth trying to get a hold of him anymore than that, he wouldn't respond and it wasn't like he tried to get in touch with her either. It was true that she and Vincent had been completely cut off from each other since that night. "Vincent," Yuffie said whispered to herself. "It's been five months; do you still care about me?"

---

It had been almost half a year since Vincent had seen Yuffie. He was surprised that she didn't try to call or text him hundreds of times. In fact, he was _really_ surprised. He felt that it was probably a good thing though. Yuffie needed to focus on her kingdom and be with her…_husband_. It pained Vincent to know that she was sleeping with someone other than him, even though he knew that she didn't really love Aki and Yuffie was not ready to have children, so she wasn't _doing _anything with him either. Still, it broke his heart. While thinking of this, Vincent Valentine sat on his bed in his room at the Shinra Mansion. He had decided to let his hair grow out again, but not as long as before. It reached the tip of his shoulders, a sign that that was long enough. He had saved up his Gil so that he could refurbish it and make it more his own. It was half way done, thanks to the help of Cid, Cloud, and Barret; he was able to get a lot of the construction out of the way and Tifa and Shera were kind enough to pick out interior decorations that fitted Vincent's personality and needs. It was wonderful for Vincent to finally have a place of his own. His home was so big though, too big for one single person. He had thought of renting out the other rooms in the mansion – something he normally would have never done. Since the day that Chaos was exercised from his body, Vincent began acting like his real self – the self that had died so many years ago, along with Lucrecia. It was extremely liberating to his soul and to his friends. He had become a happier and closer person. This, he knew, was the reason why he began to feel love again. Yuffie had grown up and he had had a change of heart and they had come in contact with one another for a brief moment in their new lives. It was a love affair that had lasted only a few days but they were the best few days of Vincent's new life. He wanted her – he wanted Yuffie back. Vincent knew what he had said to her and a part of him wished that he hadn't said it. How could he have thought that they could be together? There was no way it would have worked. He had brought Yuffie's hopes up and then smashed them into a million pieces the very next day. He hated himself for that; but there was nothing he could do now.

"So what happens now," Vincent asked himself aloud. "Where am I going to?"

**A/N: So, here's the first chapter to my sequel to **_**I'd Kill You For Nothing**_**! I hope it sounds interesting…will Yuffie and Vincent ever end up together?? Oh no! I'm soooo sorry this took a MILLION years to be written but I just got back from Europe a few weeks ago and Christmas popped up. Forgive me? PS: That last line was from the musical **_**Evita**_.


	2. Emilie

**Chapter 2 - Emilie**

_Sweetness, sweetness never suits me, when I get up to take you home  
Maybe it's love, love at first slightly drunk  
Now I'm walking with the sun in my mouth_

_Worry, worry is a well, going to let it fall tonight, from where we stand_

_What can't be decided  
In the morning it will bring itself to you  
I can see what's coming, but I'm not saying it_

_Sickness, weakness at the thought, of how you're going to play  
How long should I stay?  
Promises, promises never cease to assist it, now I'm back on my back  
Please bite your words  
Hurry, hurry to believe, I can always trust, as much as you deceive_

_What can't be decided  
In the morning it will bring itself to you  
I can see what's coming, but I'm not saying it_

_What's your middle name? How do you play the game?  
I'll be the first to leave  
When did I grow up? I don't want to say too much  
I'll be the first to leave_

_What can't be decided  
In the morning it will bring itself to you  
What can't be decided  
Can fool you into thinking maybe you can choose  
_

_I can see what's coming  
But I'm not saying it._

_**Stars – (Midnight Coward)**_

---

"Hey Teef," said a blonde, spiky haired young man.

Cloud Strife was sitting in his armchair in the living room with his wife, Tifa, sitting on his lap. They both had had a very long day. Luckily, fall break was happening at the public schools so Marlene and Denzel could watch the Strife children while Cloud and Tifa worked overtime to earn Gil to support them. Alan, the toddler, was growing up quickly, none the less he was still a little boy and needed looking after. Stella, who was still considered an infant, needed her mother's attention on a regular basis. Marlene would watch Stella until she needed Tifa to feed and hold her. Tifa wished that she could be with her kids more often, as did Cloud, who was always making either long or late deliveries throughout the week. On this particular afternoon, Tifa and Cloud felt even more exhausted than before. The bar had closed early, like it had always been lately, and Cloud would be leaving soon to deliver some small hardware to a construction site. Mr. and Mrs. Strife tried very hard to enjoy this little moment that they had together before they would have go their separate ways again.

"Hey Teef," Cloud said. "I missed you today."

Tifa snuggled into the arms of her husband. "I've missed you too, honey," she sighed. "Having a family is hard work, huh?"

"Harder than I thought," he said truthfully.

"You wouldn't give it up for anything else though; right?" She lifted her head and looked into Cloud's mako blue eyes. He smiled back at her, seeing his reflection in her dark eyes; he kissed her gently on the lips.

"No," he said. "I wouldn't give it up for anything."

"Really?" Tifa knew Cloud's answer but it was nice to hear him say it.

"Really," he hugged her tight and put his chin on top of her head. "Being with you is so amazing and having children to take care of with you just makes my life so much more complete; it's all a dream come true."

At that moment, there was a knock at the door – ruining their special moment. At first, Tifa and Cloud were surprised. The bar was closed, and the only way customers got a hold of Cloud was by phone. Usually their friends called before showing up so late and the two of them weren't expecting any other visitors. It was not long after they heard the knock that they both felt extremely disappointed. They would have to break their moment short and find out who was at the door. Tifa lifted herself off of Cloud and walked towards the bar.

"Hey," Cloud said, standing up. "I can get the door."

"No, no," Tifa said hurriedly. "I'm already there." She walked into the bar and went to the front door. When she opened it she found herself staring at a young woman of about 23 or 24 years of age. She was as blonde as Cloud with pale skin and sunken eyes. Besides the girl's eyes she was a somewhat attractive lady. She wore a classy, all black dress and cloak and from what Tifa could see, the girl had a few tattoos on her arms and shoulders.

"May…May I help you?" Tifa stumbled.

"Yes," the girl said. Her face lit up when she began to talk making her pale face and hollow eyes more animated. "I heard from another source that you rented out rooms here. Is that true?"

Tifa shook her head. "No, I'm sorry," she replied. Cloud came up from behind Tifa and put his hand on her shoulder while she spoke. "We haven't rented out rooms here in at least three years."

"Oh," the girl lowered her head and seemed very disappointed. This made Tifa feel terrible so she tried to think of something quick.

"Look," Tifa piped in. "You can come in for a few hours and I can make some phone calls for you if you'd like."

The pale girl's face lit up again. "I would appreciate it; thank you."

Tifa and Cloud motioned for the girl to come in and sit at one of the tables. Cloud took the girl's cloak, revealing the numerous tattoos on her upper body. The tattoos made the young lady extremely intimidating at first, but after she sat politely at the table with her back straight and hands in her lap, she seemed almost princess-like. She turned her head to the right to straighten her dress as she sat – exposing a small wound on her neck. Cloud and Tifa shot each other side glances – who was this young woman?

"Do…you have any luggage?" Cloud asked her – confused by the wound.

"I did," the girl said. "It was stolen on my way here."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Cloud looked at Tifa; she noticed that his face was full of understanding as if he was trying to tell her that that's why the young lady had an injury on her neck. They would have asked if she had called the police but thought that wasn't the right moment to go into details.

"My name is Tifa Strife," Tifa said to change the subject. "I run the Seventh Heaven; this is my husband, Cloud."

"My name is Emilie," the young lady said. "Emilie Durbeau."

"What brings you to this side of Midgar, Emilie?" Cloud asked.

Emilie sighed, like a child who was through talking with an adult. "I just needed to…get away."

"I see…" Cloud was starting to feel uncomfortable around her. She seemed like a nice girl but there was something odd and a little too secretive about her.

"Well," Tifa said, realizing the awkwardness again. "I have a few friends who might have a place for you to stay; I'll give them a call."

"Thank you," Emilie said, bowing her head.

---

For the first time, in a long time, Vincent was reading. He had not really read anything except the newspaper in at least four months. He had made his way to the library that morning and took out five novels. He promised himself that he'd read them all by the end of the year; he would read them by December. It wouldn't be that hard of a task. When he and Lucrecia were still together they would both get out the same novel and race each other to see who had finished it first and knew the most about it. It was childish, but they were in love and sometimes lovers do childish things. The book that he was reading was the longest one he had picked out. It was a horror novel about a bunch of men lost out in the wilderness on a reunion trip with some aliens that were after them in the snow…or something like that. It was good but it dragged on too much – still, he was going to finish it. As he turned the page to read the next chapter, Vincent's phone vibrated on his side table. He dropped the book and picked up the phone – it was Tifa who was calling him. Vincent opened his phone. "Hello Tifa," he said. "It's been awhile."

---

"Thanks Vincent," Tifa said. "I'm sure she'll appreciate it." Tifa hung up her phone and turned to Emilie sitting at the table. "I have a friend named Vincent Valentine. He lives in an old mansion not that far away from here. He's the only one living there, and, well, he's a boy…but he's extremely trustworthy, don't worry, but if that bothers you…"

"No," Emilie said right away. "He sounds very nice. I would love to stay there."

"Oh," Tifa was surprised at the young lady's bravery. Tifa knew Vincent all too well; he was far from a creeper. But this girl had no idea – she must have been desperate for a place to live. "How long will you be in Midgar?" she asked.

"Not long," Emilie said. "When I go and stay with your friend, I will let him know when I plan on leaving."

"I'm sure Vincent wouldn't mind," Tifa said. "He's pretty laid back…now."

"Well," Emilie said. "That's good, I suppose."

"Yes," Tifa responded. "I'm not the best with directions and maps – but Cloud here could draw you out a map."

"That would be lovely," the young lady said. "Thank you."

---

There was nothing weird about it. At least, that's what Vincent thought. She was just a young girl who needed a place to stay, no big deal. He was a nice guy; how could he possibly say no? The more he thought about it though, the more he thought about Yuffie, strangely enough. She was a young girl who had no place to stay too – not in a literal sense of course but in a figurative sense. He knew Yuffie was dealing with hard tasks and difficult people but she was strong and he knew that in time, she would succeed in getting Wutai back in order. It had been five months though, how long did it take to get a city on track; months or years? He would eventually find out someday.

As Vincent pondered on his thoughts, he heard a huge knock at the door of the mansion. He closed his book (even though he hadn't been reading it) and went down stairs. There were some boards left over from the reconstruction of the Shinra mansion near the front door. Since he had begun to permanently live there, Vincent was surprised that nobody came to investigate it. It _had _been the place of many horrible experiments…but nobody except Avalanche knew that. When he answered the door, a young lady with blonde hair and tattoos was standing in front of him. She gave him a small smile without teeth and stuck out her hand for it to be shaken by him. "Hi," she said simply. "My name is Emilie Durbeau. I was sent here by your friends, Cloud and Tifa Strife."

Vincent shook the girl's hand. She was an odd one; he sensed that from the moment he saw her. Nonetheless, he smiled and introduced himself.

"My name is Vincent Valentine," he said warmly. "It's nice to meet you, Emilie."


	3. The Married Life

**Chapter 3 - The Married Life**

_Yuffie was dreaming._

She was dreaming of her mother, no less and of the time when she was just a little girl. It was a warm summer's day and her mother had been playing with her for a long time. Yuffie's mother, Yoshe, was sitting down in the grass outside the palace to rest after chasing her little daughter around. _"Yuffie, my love,"_ she had said. _"You are so full of energy; I can't keep up with you!"_

_"Awwww," _Yuffie whined. _"Please keep playing with me mommy! I missed you today!"_

_"I know you did, beauty,"_ her mother sighed. Yoshe stretched out her arms for her daughter to fall into, which little Yuffie did. _"I've been so busy trying to make our home perfect."_

_"It's __not perfect?"_ Yuffie had questioned. _"I think our house is pretty cool!"_

_"Yes," _Yoshe laughed. Her laugh was deep and lovely, like most of the women in the old black and white films. _"Our house is quite beautiful, but I am talking about Wutai."_

_"Wutai?"_ Yuffie scratched her head; confusion shrouding her little face.

_"Yes,"_ Yoshe confirmed. _"Wutai used to be a wonderful place, but something is now happening to it…it is turning into a…well, a place where not very nice people come."_

_"Okay," _Yuffie had said, even though she still didn't understand.

_"Your father and I are having a hard time agreeing on what the fate of Wutai should be,"_ Yoshe continued. _"Your father wants it to stay this way – but I want it to change back."_

Yuffie pouted her lips and crossed her arms. _"Godo doesn't know anything!" _she cried in voice loud enough for all to hear.

_"Yuffie!"_ Yoshe scolded. She batted Yuffie on the head lightly. Yuffie, being the drama queen that she was, began to whine.

_"Mommy!"_ she had said.

_"You should never talk about your father in such a manner,"_ Yoshe gently rubbed the spot where she had bumped Yuffie. _"He is a good father to you and…a good friend to me."_

Yuffie melted into her mother's arms and sighed. _"Mommy?"_ she asked.

_"Yes?"_ Yoshe questioned.

_"Do you love Godo, uh, I mean father?"_ she recovered.

Yoshe sighed and kissed her daughter's head. _"Yes,"_ she had said, but Yuffie was not convinced.

_"Tell the truth,"_ Yuffie said, with a hint of childish annoyance.

_"I am, Yuffie,"_ Yoshe said with a stern voice. _"Now, I dare say you never ask me that question again, is that clear?"_ Yuffie nodded, she knew her mother was angry.

Yoshe lifted Yuffie up to stand and soon did so herself. As she stood, she grabbed her daughter's hand and held it tight. _"One day, Yuffie," _she said. _"You will understand what it is like to be a leader of Wutai and you will also understand what it is like to be married."_

_"I hope I never get married,_" Yuffie complained.

Yoshe chuckled, but even at a young age Yuffie could tell that there was a sense of sadness behind the laugh. _"We shall see," _Yoshe had said, squeezing Yuffie's hand even tighter. _"We shall see."_

---

"_I can tell that we are gonna be friends…"_

_**~ The White Stripes (We're Going to be Friends)**_

---

"My Lady?"

Yuffie awoke with a start. She was sleeping out on her day bed on the balcony that connected to her room. Yuffie sat up straight and rubbed her eyes; she turned to see who had been calling her. When she looked behind her towards the doors, she saw her husband, Aki Keno, standing in them.

"It's getting cold out," he said timidly. "Its autumn you know. I – I don't want you to get sick."

Aki was different nowadays. He wasn't as overbearing or as mushy with his choice of words. He mostly kept to himself to be quite honest. The only time Yuffie ever really saw him was when they went to bed together – not that they had a sex life either. Their relationship was not out of love in the slightest, but out of duty. It was not against the law for a leader of Wutai to divorce, but it was greatly frowned upon and if Yuffie was to fix Wutai from becoming one-big-whorehouse, than she would have to be presentable with her perfect husband spawned from a wealthy business owner. Yuffie used to hate him, despise him even, but now, now she just felt sorry for him. She raised herself from the day bed and walked up to Aki.

"Yes," she said, "it is getting cold out. Thank you for waking me, Aki."

Aki bowed. "I would do anything for you, my Lady Yuffie."

Yuffie sighed and placed her hand on his shoulder and began to walk into the bedroom. Aki stood up and straight and watched as Yuffie walked into the room and sat on the bed. Aki frowned and followed her in; sitting next to her. "Yuffie," he asked. "What is on your mind?"

Yuffie starred blankly at the floor as she spoke. "I – I'm worried." She had never gone into her personal problems with Aki before, but this afternoon seemed different. She sensed that he cared, and that made her happy to confide in him.

"About Wutai?" Aki questioned.

"Yes," Yuffie confirmed, turning to him. "I'm worried I won't be able to…to do it."

"It's only been a year since you've been ruler," Aki said, trying to make her feel better. "There is plenty of time…"

"No," Yuffie interrupted. "No, there's not. The board is letting more and more people open up game shops and hotels. There is not even enough to see in Wutai let alone host all of the people that want to pay for a hotel to stay here. It's getting out of hand…"

"I wish I was a better help to your cause," Aki said with disappointment. "I know you feel that this is your task but…but I would like to help you."

Yuffie looked up at her husband. This was a special moment between the two of them that she was not willing to lose, so she let him continue:

"I know you don't love me," Aki went on. "And I wish I knew what I felt for you in return, but that doesn't mean we can't work together, right? I've done some awful things to you in the past that I regret more than anything now, but I can change. I…I have changed. I can be a good partner, Yuffie Kisaragi, I know I can."

Yuffie smiled at these words and touched Aki's face gently. "My father wanted nothing to do with me or my mother…" she said. "He married into the family because his father was my mother's father's personal bodyguard. He was greedy and he wanted money and fame, while my mother just wanted a peaceful kingdom where everyone could be healthy and happy. The board would have listened to my mother's proposal over my father's because she was the rightful ruler – but she suddenly died. It was then that my father was in power and turned this place upside down."

Aki put his hand on Yuffie's while she touched his cheek. "I didn't know what to think of you when I first met you, Aki," Yuffie continued. "I thought that you were just another Godo."

Aki opened his mouth to disagree, but Yuffie shushed him. "Lately, I've discovered that I was wrong." She brought her face close to his and kissed his cheek.

"Thank you," Aki managed to choke out. "Thank you, my Lady."

"I sent in my final proposal today," Yuffie said. "We will see by tomorrow whether or not someone will listen to me this time."

"Yes," Aki said. "Would you like me to go with you to the announcement?"

Yuffie nodded her head, "I would appreciate it, thanks." They hugged and climbed into bed together and for the first time in their married life, they held each other close under the covers.

_**A/N: AWWW! :-3 Aki really wants to change himself and be all he can be for poor Yuffie. BUT she's making the moves on him…hmmm. Is she finally ready to just give in to the fact that she's married!? GAA! I wish I knew the answer myself...(hehe). What do you guys think is going through her head?**_


	4. Strangers

**Chapter 4 - Strangers**

"_Strangers in the night, two lonely people  
we were strangers in the night up to the moment  
when we said our first hello, little did we know _

_Love was just a glance away…"_

_**~ Frank Sinatra (Strangers in the Night)**_

---

"So," Vincent started – he and Emilie walked into the downstairs kitchen of the mansion. Vincent never forgot the day when he and Yuffie stayed at the mansion together and he had woken up from his sleep earlier than her just to make a special breakfast for her when she awoke. This pleasant memory would forever linger in his mind. "Where are you originally from, Emilie?" Vincent asked the blonde girl.

Emilie sat at the kitchen table as Vincent walked towards the fridge to get some wine. She sat in the chair farthest away from the door, the one that Yuffie had occupied the day that Vincent was just replaying in his mind. Vincent's stomach ached at the sight of her sitting in it and had the urge to ask her to move but knew that it would be unwise for him to do so – what a poor fool he would appear to be.

"Does it matter?" Emilie answered shortly, crossing her legs, trying to appear cool.

Vincent was taken aback by this answer. "Do you have something to hide?" he asked sharply. Emilie's face made the most unpleasant change – she was not happy with Vincent's attitude.

"It's none of your business," Emilie stated coolly.

"It is my business if you want to stay here any longer," Vincent came from the fridge with some glasses and a bottle of red wine which he placed on the table with a loud banging noise, making Emilie jump. "Wine?" he asked.

Emilie uncrossed her legs and sat up straight, "Yes, please," she said calmly.

Vincent poured the wine as Emilie began to talk. "I'm from a very small town just out of Midgar called Kaname. I've lived there since I was 5 ½. My parents…" Emilie paused and looked at her pale hands resting in her lap.

"Your parents…?" Vincent questioned as he sat down across from her.

"My…my parents are not worth my time or yours." she continued.

"I'll take your word for it," Vincent said, taking a sip of his wine. This action made Emilie remember that he had some as well and took a sip.

"I had more luggages with me but…" Emilie pushed a strand of blonde hair away from her face; Vincent instantly saw her wound. "I was robbed."

He was unaffected by Emilie's tragedy. "Did you report it?"

"No," she said solemnly.

"Why not?" Vincent was annoyed by this young girl's stupidity.

"Because I didn't want to," Emilie said crossly.

"I'm not going to lie," Vincent commented, "but that is the lamest reason in the whole wide world. Why didn't you report it?"

"I ran away!" Emilie blurted out, standing from her chair. "I don't want my parents to find me…ever." Vincent was taken aback by the tone in her voice. Emilie recovered herself and sat back down. "Now," Emilie continued. "I think you have asked me enough questions."

Vincent sat straight in his chair. "You're right," he said. A part of him felt guilty for treating the girl so sourly. "I am sorry."

Emilie seemed surprised that Vincent recoiled so suddenly and looked at him tensely.

"Relax," Vincent said, raising his hand. "I apologize for my attitude; it was insincere of me to..."

"Forget it," Emilie said. She fluffed her hair a little and looked to her right – avoiding eye contact with Vincent. "So," she said. "What's your story?"

Vincent took another sip of his wine, "I don't have one."

"That's ridiculous," Emilie said, turning to Vincent. "Everyone has a story."

"You're not willing to share the rest of yours," Vincent commented. "Why should I share mine?"

"Well," Emilie said. "You can at least tell me a little bit about yourself."

Vincent sighed and finished his drink. "All right," he said. "I'm technically 60 years old – I've lost two lovers very dear to me during that time period – I wear a golden metal arm when I fight and all the biological family members that I have are…dead; good enough?"

Vincent half expected the young girl to be stunned – if only a little, but she appeared more interested than anything.

"Well," Emilie finally said. "I don't know whether or not I should believe you."

"You shouldn't," Vincent lied.

Emilie smiled at this comment – Vincent noticed that she was a very beautiful girl when she smiled. "I think we are going to get along just fine."

Vincent found himself smiling back at her. "I believe we are."

Vincent noticed Emilie's pale face darken a slight hint if rouge. He couldn't remember the last time he made a woman blush. It made him feel good. "Say," he said. "Would you like me to show you the room you'll be using?"

"I'd love that, please," she said, standing up. "Thank you very much."

Vincent smiled again as they both left the kitchen. He absentmindedly found himself touching Emilie's shoulder in comfort as they made their way upstairs – when he realized what he was doing; he took his hand away quickly. Emilie looked at him when he did this and smiled once again. It wasn't long before Vincent was the one blushing. "Get a hold of yourself, Vincent," he thought to himself. "You've only just met her…and she's nothing compared to…" Vincent sighed at the thought of Yuffie. He needed to come the realization that maybe she had forgotten him. Why wouldn't she? He had made the huge mistake of letting her go. It had been 5 long months without any contact – maybe it was time…time for him to start moving on. That was the _healthy_ thing for him to do, right?

---

_**A/N: Sorry this took a couple of days. My internet's been down because of all the snow at my house. T-T **_


	5. Only A Dream

**Chapter 5 – Only A Dream**

_Black night is falling  
The sun is gone to bed  
The innocent are dreaming  
As you should sleepy-head  
Sleepy-head, sleepy-head…_

_**~ Björk (Scatterheart)**_

---

Yuffie was already awake before Aki had even begun to stir. She lay looking at the ceiling of her perfect bed, resting in the silk sheets made from local Wutaian silk worms – a present to her from her father. It was probably the nicest thing he had ever given to her…and the last thing he gave to her before he died. Yuffie wondered whether or not Godo knew he was dieing. He was getting fatter, and not taking very good care of himself, hygiene-wise, the last few days of his life. He had summoned Yuffie several times to his bed chamber but every time he asked for her company, Yuffie had refused to see him. The next week, he was gone – and apart from the kingdom, the only thing he had personally left her were the silk sheets on her bed today. The young Lady had half a mind to throw them out – but something had stopped her, what it was, she had no idea. When her maid, Yoko approached Yuffie with the news of Godo and the silk sheets in her hand, Yuffie fell to the floor in tears. She never imagined she would cry at the news of her father's death, in fact, there were days when she would remind herself not to cry when the day came. For some reason though, she couldn't control herself. Maybe it was because she knew now that she was an orphan, without even any siblings to share the grief with. In addition, with her father dead, she would _have_ to marry, she would _have_ to fix Wutai, and she would _have _to be unhappy.

"Life is what you make it," Yuffie whispered aloud. She was quoting her mother's last words to her before she died. Yuffie had been complaining about her schoolwork and how hard it was making her life to live. Yuffie was seven years old when her mother was brutally murdered and the memory of Lady Yoshe's death would forever haunt poor Yuffie.

"Oh mommy," Yuffie sighed, tears began to stream down both sides of her face, staining her pillowcase. "I'm so scared…so hurt…so sad."

Instantly, Yuffie was reminded of Vincent Valentine, and that old familiar pain in her stomach surfaced. She had been okay with their "break-up" the first few days, but it had been months now, and over the past week she began to doubt whether or not he had really loved her in the first place. "How could you leave me?" Yuffie whispered aloud once more. "How could you leave me _again_…?"

"Hmm?" Aki had heard Yuffie's whispers. "What did you say, my Lady?" Aki turned over on his side to face Yuffie – when he noticed that she was crying, he gasped.

"Oh my Lady, are you all right?"

Yuffie turned to face her husband and wiped her eyes. "I'm okay, Aki," she sat up and stretched pathetically, trying to hide the fact that she had already been up. "You still coming with me to the hearing?"

Aki nodded his head and sat up as well. "Yes, anything for you my lady!"

---

Vincent's book was starting to really bore him. He forced himself through the page he was on and stopped as soon as he could. The page continued to the next one but he didn't care. He just wanted to sit and think about his own life, not some fictional character's life. Emilie had woken up earlier than Vincent and he could hear her down stairs in the bathroom that he offered her to use.

She was in the shower.

She must have been, he couldn't hear her voice but he could hear the water running. She apparently was not the type to sing in the shower. Vincent just lay on his back on his bed and starred at the ceiling. There were water marks on the ceiling that Shera Highwind had asked him to fix the day he official moved in. Vincent had nodded at her comment but never went through with it – he thought the marks gave the room character. Thinking of Shera for some reason reminded him of Yuffie again. It seemed that whenever he thought of the other members of AVALANCHE it would ultimately make him think of Yuffie. He remembered how short her hair had been the last time he had saw her and he wondered whether or not she had tried to grow it out again, like he was. He missed her and thought about calling (yes, he was willing to skip the texting and just call her) but something deep down told him that that was a terrible idea. No matter how hard he had tried to ignore this feeling, it always seemed to take over him.

"Damn it all to hell," he mumbled to himself. He was sick of the stagnant state he was living in. It was tiresome and unappealing to him. He hated being this way: weak and fearful…he hated…

Suddenly, there was a knock on Vincent's door. Vincent pulled himself out of his mini-depression and realized that the water downstairs had stopped running. It was obviously Emilie.

"Come in," Vincent's voice was a little hoarse from not talking all day. He sat up on his bed to welcome in his guest. He was not expecting what would come next.

Emilie had opened the door to his room. She was wet…and still in her towel.

Vincent couldn't help but stare, she was beautiful, that was for certain, and she was naked…well, under the towel that is. He didn't know what to say! The only thing that came out of his mouth was: "May I help you?"

Emilie smiled softly. She was like a totally different person with her hair wet and her makeup off. Vincent was about to stand from his bed when Emilie raised her hand. "You don't have to move," she said in a soft but sort of shaky tone. Vincent wondered if she was nervous. "While I was in the shower," she said, moving closer to Vincent. "I realized that I didn't have any money to pay you back with…you know, for letting me stay here." She moved her body on top of Vincent and pushed him gently down to the bed. Vincent played along; his brain felt like it was melting as she sat on his waist. He was wearing his jeans and a sudden wish came to his mind – he wished that his pants were off. Emilie leaned in closer to Vincent's face and kissed just off his lips, teasing his senses. "I hope I can pay you back in this way at least…" she then kissed his top lip and just under his nose. When she moved in to kiss him full on the mouth, Vincent felt his arms moving automatically, without his mind telling them what to do, and he stopped her from getting any closer.

"Emilie," Vincent said. "This…this isn't right."

Emilie looked at Vincent strangely, as if she had never been denied before. Vincent sat up and Emilie placed herself next to him. "I just," Emilie started, still shaky. "I just thought…I figured that…since you and I…we're both lonely."

"I know," Vincent said. One side of Vincent Valentine was telling him that Yuffie still loved him and he had to be faithful to her – the other side, which he up till now thought was stronger, told him that Yuffie had moved on and forgotten him. The two sides were at constant battle, the first side had won this round.

"Emilie…you and I…we're just…a dream. Nothing we feel for each other is real, especially if we are both simply _lonely_." He touched her bare shoulder, but Emilie would not stand for it. She sat up from Vincent's bed and walked out of his room – without a word. Vincent put his face in his hands. Life is but a dream…

---

"You can't mean that," Yuffie said, holding back tears. "Don't you all see what has become of this place? Think of your children! You're grandchildren! Where will they play? Where will they work? Who will they marry? A prostitute? Maybe a gambler?"

"My Lady…" Aki tried to calm Yuffie down – but she acted as if he didn't exist. She was in the Order Room. The room in which the laws for Wutai were passed; where all of the board members for a better Wutai and the ruler of Wutai would meet. Over the years, even before Yuffie's mother, Yoshe, was the Lady of Wutai, the people had asked that laws be made by an elected board. Even at the start of Yuffie's term, the board members were still the ones of her father, and they liked Wutai just the way it was.

"My Lady," said Keato Maa, the leading board member; a very old and decrepit man – he had been Godo's best friend throughout his rule. "There is simply nothing we can do – you are not asking us to tear down all of these businesses making these people poor again, are you?"

"Of course not," Yuffie said. "That's why we need to raise money to give these people to start new businesses. This sort of advertising for Wutai is not healthy for the types it brings in and the types it creates!"

"Lady Yuffie," one board member, Judo Tan spoke up. "My son owns the brothel next to the palace – are you telling me that my son is one of these 'types' you despise so much?"

Yuffie paused, her face became red, not with embarrassment, but with anger. "With all do respect, Judo Tan," she said as calmly as possible. "I do not care what your son does as long as he can open his whore house somewhere other than _MY_ family's kingdom!"

There was a long, awkward silence. Aki stood trembling next to Yuffie as she breathed heavily, resisting the urge to scream at the top of her lungs. The board members just starred at Yuffie as if she was crazy.

"You do realize that the majority of Wutai _likes _the way that it is; don't you?" Keato Maa said. "If you were half the ruler your _father _was, you would understand that that is why your mother could not win – even if she was the rightful ruler." Yuffie was taken aback; her face grew even redder as Maa spoke.

"The people of Wutai _want_ to open these shops, brothels and casinos. There is nothing you can do – this dream of a 'better' Wutai is not going to come true, my Lady."

Yuffie looked at each of the board members in eye. She wanted them to see her pain without being too emotional. "You're right," she said coolly. Yuffie picked up her files, gave the board members one last glare and stormed out of the room, Aki following close behind her.

Once they had made their way into the hallway, Aki grabbed Yuffie's arm but before he could say anything, Yuffie turned to him; "Don't fucking touch me," she said, and continued walking.

"My Lady," Aki said, scrambling after her. "When their term is up…you will see…we will change Wutai then…"

"No!" Yuffie stopped and turned to Aki. She relaxed her shoulders as she tried to calm her breathing. "No…" she said softly. Aki approached Yuffie slowly and stroked her arm gently. She sighed at his touch and collapsed to the ground. Aki tried to bring her back up but Yuffie sat on the cold palace ground like an old rag doll. "By the time their terms are up it would be unwise to try and fix Wutai," she said coolly. "It would only ruin the economy more than what it would if I tried to do it now…"

"My Lady…" Aki could not think of any words of comfort.

Yuffie shook her head and cried softly. "Damn my father…" she sighed. "I need to take a walk by myself."

"Of course," Aki said, helping Yuffie to stand. "I will ask the maids to get a hot bath ready for you when you return."

Yuffie looked up at Aki and smiled. He was not handsome, brave, or smart but he was a good friend to her – and that's what she needed most of all. "Aki…" Yuffie sighed. Without even really thinking about what she was doing, she kissed him, lightly on the lips. They had not kissed since their wedding day. Aki stood there, almost dumbfounded, Yuffie patted his shoulder and walked towards her room to get ready for her walk. Little did she know that in a few moments, more than Wutai's failure would bring sorrow to her young heart.

---

**A/N: OH MY GOOOOSSSHHH! All I can say is FORGIVE ME! I live in the middle of nowhere in NY where it's snowing like the North Pole. I've been trying to update this chapter for like, a week and every time I've tried, tells me that the server is fucked or something…so, finally, it has worked! I hope this chapter was worth the long and painful wait (seriously, I know what it's like to wait for a story update…not cool). The next one is going to be good too, I promise! 3 **


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